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Although the old farmer's saying calls for corn (Zea mays) to be "knee high by the Fourth of July," some gardeners don't even begin planting corn until then. You may have spring vegetables you need to grow and harvest in the same space first, or you may sow different corn varieties every few weeks, or you just may not have gotten around to planting corn before July. Whatever the reason, your chances of successfully raising a July-planted corn crop greatly increases if you choose suitable varieties and growing methods.

Time Considerations

Corn needs 65 to 100 frost-free days. The amount of flexibility you have with corn varieties you plant in July depends largely on your climate. In completely frost-free regions, you may be able to get away with growing longer-season varieties, such as "Stowell’s Evergreen," which takes 100 days from seed to harvest. In most regions, including Mediterranean climates with some risk of fall frost, early varieties are best -- unless you take season-extending measures.

Best Varieties

To combat the potential for fall temperatures felling your July-planted corn, look for varieties labeled as "early" or which list a growing period in the 60- to 75-day range. "Sugar Snow" is an early-season white corn variety. Yellow corn varieties that work within a tight time frame include "Sugar Buns," "Tuxedo," "Earlivee" and "Early Sunglow." If you want bi-color corn, plant "Quickie," "Sugar and Gold," "Athos" or "Butter and Sugar."

Methods

If you can't plant until July but still want to harvest in late summer or early fall, start corn seeds indoors. This step allows you to establish seedlings that are already 4 to 6 weeks old by the time they go into the ground in July. Whether you direct-seed corn into the garden or establish seedlings, using block planting reduces the chances that a different corn variety you've planted earlier in the season will cross-pollinate with your July crop. Set your corn about 18 inches apart in several short rows to form a block, which encourages pollen to stay within the block rather than to float over to a row of another corn variety. Blocks of different corn varieties should be set at least 50 feet apart.

Basic Care

If you grew a different crop in the patch you'll raise corn, then clear the area of all vegetative matter, including weeds, before planting corn seeds or seedlings. Add compost to the area before planting to compensate for nutrients the previous crop may have used in the soil -- unless the previous crop was beans or peas, which add nitrogen to soil. Cornstalks also do well when side-dressings of aged manure are applied two to three times during the growing season. Side-dress corn by laying about a 2-inch tall and 2-inch wide band of aged manure in front of each row of corn; moisten the soil thoroughly so the manure's nutrients leech into the soil. Water the garden regularly to ensure the soil stays evenly moist; that factor is especially important for corn planted at the height of summer. When the corn silks turn brown and a sample ear has kernels that run with milky liquid when pressed, then the ears are ready for harvesting.